By Karen Phan, Opinion Editor
Every high school student I know gets at least eight hours of sleep, eats three nutritious meals, participates in clubs and sports, finishes homework by 6 p.m., and has at least four hours of free time.
That’s a lie.
As an academically inclined student, I’m surrounded by the same high achieving kids. Not all of us are stretched thin, but most of us have schedules packed with AP classes and extracurriculars. The more we continue to push ourselves without stepping back to take breathers, the more likely we are to be burned out.
Burn-out is defined as an “occupational phenomenon” caused by “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed” by the World Health Organization. Its symptoms include feelings of exhaustion, headaches, reduced productivity and extensive stress. Although burn-out refers to a work environment, students are also susceptible to being burned out because of demanding course work, high expectations, drama and other stressors.
At some point, it’s just too much. You don’t care and you want to quit. But fear not, or stress not. Students can prevent high school burnout, and here’s how.
Recognize what’s causing you extensive stress.
Knowing what’s going on is the first step to addressing problems. Think about each class and extracurricular that you’re in and try to identify what takes up most of your time or stresses you out the most.
Prioritize.
I know this is hard, but it makes a difference. During the first two weeks of school, I was already overwhelmed by my course work and had less than an hour of free time each day, so I dropped a class. It was a tough choice, but now I have less on my plate and my workload is manageable.
There’s also no shame in dropping a class or extracurricular. You have to think about what makes you happy and benefits your career path. Everyone says to commit to what interests you the most so that you can excel in that area, and it’s true. Doing too much makes it harder for you to learn and put out high-quality work.
Prioritizing also means learning how to say no. Sometimes we feel like we’re obligated to help, but you may not be able to take on any extra responsibilities at the moment, and that’s okay.
Take breaks and have hobbies.
This is hard, too. I’m a workaholic so I have to be doing something, but breaks are important. We can’t finish assignment after assignment after assignment for days on end and still have the motivation to continue. Stepping back for ten to twenty minutes to daydream, snack or listen to music is a good refresher between hours of homework.
Set meaningful and achievable goals.
It’s high school and everyone is doing everything. There’s pressure to do a lot and have a high grade-point average for a stellar college application.
But those aren’t good reasons for piling our plates sky high. Instead, setting reasonable goals helps promote intrinsic motivation because you’re working towards your satisfaction and happiness. Write them down and stick them in your binder or on a wall to remind yourself that there’s a bigger purpose, a goal, and it’s not straight A’s.
If you need help setting attainable goals, check out the SMART goal setting method.
Have good time management.
Managing your time effectively is a good way to crank through all your assignments in a timely fashion. That way, you’ll feel less stressed because you don’t have three incomplete projects and two exams weighing down on you. Good time management also gives you a sense of control, which is oftentimes needed when you feel overwhelmed.
Stress doesn’t automatically mean burn-out. Burn-out is characterized by extensive stress, feelings of inadequacy and more, including depression and anxiety. Researching burn-out and noticing signs of it can help you recognize its manifestation in yourself and your friends. More importantly, it can be prevented by making some simple changes in your lifestyle and embracing your limits.
